#23: The Great War begins (1914)

But Turkey was already at war; the struggle in the Balkans
had already begun. In fact, in 1908, directly after the
proclamation of the Constitution, Austria had proclaimed
her annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bulgaria had
followed by proclaiming her full independence. These and
following events exceedingly embittered and angered the
Turks. They were warriors and the Christian nations wanted
war: very well, they should have it. War. *War*. WAR.
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In the early spring of 1914, the Turks began mobilization.
The German-trained General who arrived in Marsovan with
his staff about the time the snows melted in the Balkans,
to organize the forces in our district, said to me that
Turkey had been quite unprepared in recent wars and added
with a knowing smile that now they meant to be "ready for
eventualities". The General often called on us at the
College. He liked to sit in our pleasant garden and listen
to our College band and the students liked to play for the
authoritative Commander. Sealed circulars were placed in
the hands of certain officials in the wards of the city
and in the villages round about which were not to be opened
pending further orders. But the curiosity of Turkish men
is not less than that of American women. They opened and
read the circulars on the sly and whispered the contents
to their friends on the sly. After Sunday evening, August
4th, 1914, when the mobilization order was read out in
the mosques, these circulars were produced and posted on
the street walls where everybody could see them. They
proclaimed that hostilities had begun; that the country
was invaded, and the land laid waste; the villages were
destroyed and the women insulted; the people, therefore,
were called upon to rally to the crescent flag in defense
of hearth and home and native land.
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When the College opened in September, eight teachers and
several employees had been drafted for military service.
Of our students during the preceding year, 36, including
7 of the 14 who graduated in June, were similarly called
to the colors. Twenty-two alumni who had completed medical
courses had been drafted as army surgeons. These were
people of whom we knew individually, whereas great numbers,
beyond the reach of our communication at that time under
war conditions and strict censorship, were involved, and
successive levies of soldiers continued till the end of
the wars.